Dragon's Progeny: Chapter 56

It had been a long time since I had seen so many heroes congregated in one place. The last time had been an intentional decision on my part, when I attacked the Rig in order to distract their forces in hopes that I would be able to rescue my father. If I had known that this was the kind of response I would garner from that day forward, I may have thought twice.

Eight heroes. Five adults, and what appeared to be three Wards, though the only one I recognized was Vista, her swirling green costume vibrant and visible even in the dim light. The other two, a teenage boy made of metal and a similarly aged girl clad in purple and white, wielding a large crossbow, I did not recognize.. Heroes from another city perhaps? It seemed that the slow cogs of bureaucracy were still turning if they managed to receive reinforcements this late in the game.

As for the adults, I recognized each of them, and they were worthy opponents indeed. Armsmaster and Miss Militia headed the front, while both Dauntless, Assault and Battery fanned out behind them, preventing me from reaching my quarry. Combined with Dragon’s mechs and the firepower they possessed, they were a formidable force. The heroes clearly weren’t taking any chances this time.

“This is certainly a surprise.” I called as Spook sidled up behind me, clutching his wounded arm, “Given your inaction so far, I had assumed you approved of my actions against the Empire thus far. Why step in now? When the curtain is falling and the play is almost complete?”

“You’ve caused a lot of damage here recently, kid.” Assault answered, his face a mask of reluctant seriousness, “We had to break out the big guns because you'd break all our other toys otherwise.”

“Indeed I would.” I agreed, “But don't you think this is a bit of a disproportionate response? There are eight of you, and the spread of powers on display here is quite varied. Even I would be hard pressed to keep up.”

Though my tone was polite, inside I was seething. I couldn't believe this was happening. I was so close!

“Your powers and abilities are formidable. This response was strategically calculated.” A voice that I assumed belong to the premier Canadian Tinker emerged from somewhere near the largest mech, “In fact, it would be bigger, but we are busy putting out several fires you created. Now please, come quietly, before this escalates any further.”

I looked around at the heroes as Spook walked up behind me, clutching his arm where Krieg had managed to expose his skin to the light above, “You expect me to stop now? When I am moments away from bringing an end to this war?”

“The war you started!” Miss Militia strode forward to stand beside her comrade, “Your actions have caused more deaths in one week than this city has seen since the Teeth and it ends here. Stand down and surrender, and you will be given a fair trial. Both of you.”

As she spoke, it seemed that the capes behind them realized that the heroes were not here for them. Kaiser glanced at his men, taking in their haggard state, before he turned back to me. I couldn’t see his face underneath the helmet, but I could see the way his shoulders slumped slightly, as if he too was disappointed that the heroes had interrupted our climactic standoff. Or perhaps he was relieved that he had a bulwark between himself and my wrath, either way, as he turned and began to flee with the rest of his men, leaving Hookwolf behind where the man lay, the fires of frustration ignited in my chest once more.

This was supposed to be it. The final strike of the war that would see all of our efforts come to fruition. Kaiser's head would be in my hands, the Empire would be in shambles, and Tammi would be home safe and sound.

And yet here the heroes were standing in my way and preparing to render everything we had done completely useless.

No. I refused.

I stepped forward, my stone face emotionless even as angry fire burned inside the grey husk, “You heroes are false protectors in every sense of the word. All you do is keep the status quo, never letting one group step a toe out of line. I came here to enact revenge and cleanse this city of a rot that has been growing and festering, poisoning this place since before I ever came to its shores. I will not be blockaded at the last hurdle. I will not have all the sacrifices and all of my efforts be for nothing! I will not!”

“Don’t do it, Yosei!” Miss Militia pleaded, but I ignored her as I raised my hands, spreading my presence and gathering the massive power within me as I commanded the very earth around us to do my bidding. The ground shook and the buildings around us shifted as I brought the fullest extent of my geokinetic abilities to bear, shaping the earth itself to my will.

I remained rooted in place as those present tumbled to the ground, unbalanced by the shifting ground underneath them. Kaiser and his group stumbled, before a massive, jutting wall of stone erupted from the concrete mere inches away from his face. It rose high into the sky, eclipsing the clouds and the sun that laid behind them as it reached towards the heavens, followed quickly by others of its kind.

As we weren't enclosed in a cage of stone, the ground beneath us began to sink, pulling everyone down into the ground as if we were in a giant, natural elevator. We descended only a few meters, just enough to ensure that anyone who managed to break the walls would still be unable to escape my judgement. It was unfortunate that I wasn’t able to catch the entire Empire in the rocky prison, but I got the one I was aiming for and that was all that mattered.

As the ground settled and the heroes got their feet back under themselves once more, I focused again. Dozens of clones rose out of the ground in front of me, christening the battlefield with a fresh army. Dragon's drones immediately turned in their directions, turrets swiveling this way and that as they locked on to each of the stone copies.

“Come on, Yosei! Don't do this! We can help you!” Assault called. His face was frustrated, and I couldn't help but wonder why they chose him of all people to be the negotiator in this situation.

“I’m not stupid, Assault.” I responded, “Would you heroes really help me, or would you lie to my face and lock me up at the earliest opportunity, just like my father? And what if Rune? Would you leave her to languish in the Empire's grasp just to keep the status quo?”

“We would help you both, damn it!” Assault shouted, “I know you want to protect her, I remember that day in the alley, but this wasn't the way to go about it, kid. Look at all the damage you caused!”

I had forgotten about that day. In the rush of everything that had happened since, it had faded into the background alongside many happier memories. I was especially surprised that he of all people remembered such an insignificant migging, and I was momentarily left at a loss for words.

For just an instant, I imagined a world where I had stayed in that hospital room on the day Tammi was taken. What would have become of us had I just spoken with the heroes and explained my situation? Would we still be in this position, with the city burning and up in arms? 

Would Tammi have been rescued sooner?

“Perhaps… things could have been different than.” I said resignedly, before my eyes hardened, “But it is too late. I'm not going to let you ruin this when I am so close to victory.”

I sank into the ground before they could respond, before riding upwards as the same colossal golem that I had used to destroy Kaiser and his lackeys. My horde charged, and I was right beside them as I prepared to end this war for once and for all.

The heroes fanned out and even Kaiser moved to do battle alongside his enemies, raising stakes and blades to spear through my stone soldiers. He carefully avoided the heroes taking the temporary alliance for what it was as he prepared to defend himself to his last breath.

Though his power was devastating, my horde reformed just as quickly as it was destroyed. Unfortunately, he was far from the only one doing damage. Assault and Battery were tearing a path through my soldiers, utilizing their powers to devastating effect.

Armsmaster was as competent as always, as were Miss Militia and Dauntless, but what really surprised me were the newcomers. The metal teen was just as strong as he looked, breaking stone with the merest tap, but the girl's power was something to be feared. I wasn't sure what sort of energy she was imbuing those arrows with, but it cut through my horde like they weren't even there, allowing her to lop off limbs and heads with the barest effort..

All in all, they were devastatingly effective, and that wasn't even the biggest issue.  From the beginning of the battle, I ran into an issue. Because my soldiers weren't technically a part of me apart from the tiny sliver of my soul that gave them life, they weren't affected by the Manton Limit. That meant that Vista and her proclivity for warping space to suit her needs also warped them as well, dragging them away from her allies and into the path of their attacks instead.

Spook saw what she was doing and moved to assist, directing his powers towards her and breaking her concentration, but Miss Militia noticed what he was doing and focused on him, firing rubber bullets through the horde that Vista helpfully delivered straight to my friend.

Growling deep in my cavernous chest, I directed my attention towards thr two of them, breaking the terrain at their feet and turning it into grasping tendrils that reached up and clamped around their legs, seeking to drag them down to the depths with Purity. 

It almost worked, but as they began to sink, Miss Militia’s power shifted, turning her rifle into a large hammer which she used to destroy the rocks holding them hostage. They stepped away  falling back behind their allies to continue running support while Spook did the same, crouching in a shelf of stones I created just for him.

The rain was another problem. If was forming a thin layer of water underneath the heroes’ feet, but while that should be a point in my favor, it was actually working to my detriment. The water soaking into the ground made it just a bit harder to keep my clones fully formed as they absorbed the water as I put them together. They came out softer, easier to break, and swaths of them were being destroyed by the barest combined efforts of the heroes and villain.

And as the battle continued, I watched in disbelief as I was slowly but surely pushed back by the unlikely alliance. I couldn’t believe what I was witnessing. Were the heroes truly so scared of my power that they would ally with the Empire over me? The thought ignited a cold fire in my chest that only grew as my clones continued to go down under the combined might of my enemies.

I took a mental breath, trying my best to calm down and not let my anger overwhelm me. This was bad but it wasn’t completely hopeless just yet. I would just have to prioritize my focus based on the threats before me, take them down one by one until their superior numbers helped them no longer. With the right application of force to the right places, even the sturdiest towers crumbled, and so too would their alliance.

Dragon was obviously first, being the biggest target. I wasn’t sure what kind of ammunition the woman was using in those mechs of hers, but the guns swiveling on the hips of the metallic dragons were tearing my horde to shreds. Isolating one of them among the others, I sent another wave of clones forward to distract the heroes as I myself surged forward on a wave of stone, closing the distance alongside my creations.

Bullets pattered against my body as I approached, but they were lower caliber. The cannons on the back of the smaller mechs swiveled in my direction, preparing to deliver something much more damaging, but by then, I was already upon them. Raising myself upwards, I raised a colossal hand and brought it down, intent on smashing the machine to pieces.

In something like surrealist painting brought to life, space twisted in mind-tingling ways as my hand approached the mech. Vista’s power made sure I missed my target completely and my hand slammed into the dirt beside it instead. As I stared at it in anger and disbelief, there was a flash of purple, before my arm was divested of a majority of its mass as something cut straight through my forearm like a knife through butter.

I pulled back as the purple clad girl turned towards my main body, and that was when Dragon’s drones finally managed to get a lock on me. My massive body was pelted with bullets large and powerful enough to crater the stone and throw up clouds of debris with every impact. I flinched back at the vibrations rocking through my stony form, before roaring and slamming my hand on the ground like I was squishing a large insect.

Stone bent underneath my fist before bulging upwards and rolling forward in a wave. Dirt and rock acted like water as the wave swept across the ground  sweeping up my clones and subsuming them into itself as it gained speed and power. The attack was telegraphed enough that most of my enemies managed to dodge via a large metal pillar courtesy of Kaiser. The metal teenager was just out of range and nearly got crushed, but luckily Armsmaster pulled him out of the way just in time using a hook launched from his halberd.

I let them escape; they weren't my real targets anyway. As the wave reached Dragon's drones, they lifted off, or at least tried to. The first and largest of the group couldn't quite manage it and was crushed by the wave, but the other two actually managed to get into the air.

For all the good it would do them. As they reached the apex of the arc, massive barbed spikes burst from the stone, impaling and snaring them before dragging them back down to earth. The wave rolled over the mechs, burying them underneath hundreds of tons of stone and rock, before settling as it reached the end of my cage.

And with that, I had momentarily gained the upper hand. Though my horde had been lost, my wave had eliminated the two biggest problems on the battlefield. It had also kicked up a rather large cloud of dust that filled pretty much the entire cage, blocking everyone's vision

As everyone recuperated, I pulled my presence out of the golem and created a clone right next to Spook. Pulling myself out of the ground, I drew the rest of myself in as well, filling this body with my entire consciousness before shutting my power off entirely. The entire arena shifted as I became flesh and bone once more. The walls around us became normal, unpowered stone and immediately began to crumble under its own weight, kicking up even more dust to fill what was left of the arena.

I came back into myself boiling with rage. I put a hand on Spook's shoulder, looking underneath his hood and resisting the spike of fear that blossomed in the back of my head, “This isn't working. The heroes are too effective and the rain is extremely detrimental as well. We are being pushed back.”

“We should retreat then.” Spook suggested, “Oni Lee and the Undersiders have likely rescued Tammi by now. We can regroup and try again later.”

“There won't be a later.” I immediately denied, “Kaiser is canny and won't let himself be put in this position ever again. We came here to finish the Empire and if we don't do it today, then we will not get another chance. We need a change of strategy if we want to win this.”

“What do you suggest?” Spook asked.

I turned away from him, glancing towards the cloud of dust that was slowly being pushed away by the rain. I could hear movement on the other side, so we probably didn't have long until they realized my ruse, “My power is already building up again thanks to the danger around us, but it is going slowly. We only have a moment or two before everyone realizes what is happening. I need you to blast me with as much of your fear aura as you possibly can. My power will respond to the threat and I should gain access to a form that will end this battle.”

Spook turned to face me fully, his face inscrutable, “It won’t be pleasant. I didn’t even hit Purity with the full strength of my power when I brought her down. If I had to hazard a guess, I was using around a third of what I actually have.”

“I will be fine.” I said resolutely, “I’ll have to be. Just be quick about it, we are running out of time even as we speak.”

Spook nodded solemnly and less than half a second later, I nearly fell to my knees as wave after wave of pure, gut-wrenching terror slams against the forefront of my mind. It was almost indescribable, like all of the worst experiences of my lifetime had been dredged forth from the depths of my mind and rolled into one before being thrown right back inside where the freshest memories resided. I retched, barely resisting the urge to void the contents of my stomach all over the ground in front of me as all of my past traumas flashed through my mind.

Combined with the rain and thunder booming overhead, it was like I was a young girl again, right back there on that day, except the raw, desperate terror that I was feeling right now was a million times worse than what I remembered. I had no idea Spook’s power was so potent.

But it was working. I could feel my power responding to the threat Spook’s own presented. It built inside of me, giving me access to a much wider range of forms. And not a moment to soon, as it seemed the heroes had wisened up to my plan.

A man in glowing power armor burst through the debris, visor glowing a bright, neon blue as he thrust his halberd directly at me, the tip of a thin needle glistening in the dust as it approached my chest. Spook stepped in front of me, interposing himself between myself and Armsmaster as he reached out with clawed hands, gripping the halberd before it could reach me. 

Armsmaster ripped it out of his hands with the barest effort and thrust it forward into his chest instead, injecting my subordinate with whatever the syringe was filled with. Whatever it was had to be incredibly powerful, as the moment it entered Spook’s bloodstream, the man stumbled backwards, tripping over his own feet as it coursed through his system.

Armsmaster didn’t pause as the syringe dropped out of his halberd, landing in a puddle as it was replaced by another one. He stepped towards me with a glower on his face, raising his weapon as he prepared to stick me with it, but Spook had bought me just enough time to pick a form and lock it in, and as the man reached me, I was swallowed by a veil of mist.

He wasn’t intent on letting me go even as I disappeared into my power. He took another step forward, shoving his weapon into the mist where he thought I still resided, but I was no longer there. Or at least, his mind didn’t register that I was.

He stopped dead in his tracks, peering intently through the dust and mist to try and find where I disappeared to and as he did so, I strolled by him, casually sliding a single, clawed digit along the side of his jaw where his helmet didn’t manage to cover. The touch made him flinch and lash out at me, but he barely moved a foot in my direction before his legs gave out from underneath him and he crumbled to the ground.

Disregarding him and his unconscious state, I wandered over to Spook who was lying on the ground, completely out of it. My silken robes hovered just above the water pooling around us, and nine, fluffy tails drifted leisurely through the air like smoke as I bent down, resting a hand on my friend.

“Thank you, Spook.” I spoke softly to the slumbering man, as I gathered my power, “You’ve been a part of the ABB for such a short time yet already you have given so much to us. Your contributions today will not be forgotten, I assure you of that.”

My power pulsed inside of me, responding to my desires, and a moment later, the man faded from sight, seeming to slip away into the ether. He was still there though, I could still see him, could still feel my power gathered in the air around him and turning minds and eyes away from where he was resting. As long as it remained, he would be hidden. Safe.

Which meant that I could end this without worrying about him getting caught in the crossfire. Breathing deeply, I turned my attention away from the unconscious man and to the world around me. The debris created by my wave and transformation was almost gone, battered away by the rain steadily falling around us. I could already see their shadows through the fog, specters of my foes waiting for me to make myself known. In moments, I would be completely revealed and the battle would resume.

Which meant that I could finally end this without worrying about my friend. Breathing deeply, I turned my attention away from the unconscious man and to the world around me. The debris created by my wave was almost gone, cleared away by the rain still falling in buckets around us. In moments, I would be revealed and the battle would resume.

So perhaps it was time to turn things in my favor.

Raising my arms above my head, I fell into an almost trancelike state, focusing on the power welling within me as I brought it forth and shaped it to her will, giving it purpose. My tails shivered as my power rushed through me, racing to do my bidding.

The dust was clearing now, but that didn’t matter. Nothing mattered except for finally finishing this war. And with the power now at my fingertips, and there wasn’t a chance in hell that they would be able to stop her.

~~~

Weld volunteered for the assignment in Brockton Bay mostly as a show of good faith. He knew that their sister city was having a hard time and even though his own was far from perfect at the moment, he figured he could spare a week or two to come over and lend them a hand. It wasn't like he was actually doing much back home anyway.

He had heard stories of Yosei. The daughter of some big gang leader who turned out to be just as strong and even more competent than he was. Everyone in Boston knew about Lung, but none of them had ever seen the man in action so they didn't really put a lot of weight into the stories of what he could do, much less his daughter. After all, she hadn't even been on the cape scene a year, there was no way she was that dangerous, right?

Weld swore that he would take any story he heard about a cape as fact from this day forward. There was no way that one cape should have been able to take all of them at once, and yet here they were.

And it wasn't over yet. Weld watched as the fog began to clear, revealing a lone figure standing in front of them. Beside him, Miss Militia tensed as she caught sight of Yosei, and she raised a hand to her ear, “Console, Yosei has switched forms and Armsmaster is down. What is the ETA on the backup drones?”

As she waited for a response, Weld eyed Yosei, taking in her new appearance. Her stony form had shifted into something much more human. She was wearing a revealing silk robe that wasn't appropriate for battle whatsoever, and her hair had become a snowy white that stuck out in the darkness. A pair of slitted orange eyes stared at them all from underneath a thick layer of mascara, and as they turned to look at him, Weld was reminded of a predator eying its prey.

The most pervasive change was the new additions she was sporting. Two fuzzy ears twitched on her head and nine bushy tails swayed in the air behind her. In any other circumstance, Weld might think they were cute, but something in the air told him that nothing about this form was supposed to be cute.

Glancing away from her for a moment, Weld searched the rocks behind her for any sign of her companion. The moment he took his eyes off of her however, a scream rang out from beside him, making him whirl around in panic.

Yosei had somehow gone from standing dozens of feet away to being right in their midst. The woman was holding a finger to Vista's forehead, staring into the girl's eyes intently, "You've been  an issue for me, child. Let's fix that, shall we?”

A shrill, spine-chilling scream burst out of the little girl's mouth, so loud and shrill that even Yosei seemed surprised by its volume. It suddenly cut off moments later as the girl crumpled to the ground, falling into the mud and twitching as she laid there, unconscious or worse.

As everyone stared at what had become of the youngest of their number, Yosei reached out towards Miss Militia, placing one hand on her head, “You're dangerous too. Or you could have been if you used all that firepower available to you.”

Green light flashed as Miss Militia's power tried to form something, but it fizzled out as the woman's eyes suddenly rolled into the back of her head and she fell backwards, just like Vista.

Assault burst into action. He ran forward, wrapping his arms around Yosei's body like thick red chords  restraining her with all of his strength, “You went too far, kid!” He grunted, holding her tightly, “Why couldn't you just work with us?”

Yosei didn't even twitch as he held her in place, flicking her eyes back at him, "I've come too far to back down now. I'm truly sorry, Assault.”

A wave of something, passed over them all, and Assault suddenly froze from his place behind Yosei, staring into the distance as if something was wrong.

Most heroes chose red costumes because they were flashy or simply because they had a preference for the color. A far more practical reason, and the one that had been cited to Weld himself when he brought it up to his own costume’s designer, was that it did an excellent job of hiding blood when someone was wounded. It didn’t really affect Weld since he no longer had blood anyway, but Assault did. Assault had blood.

Assault had a lot of blood. And as the man fell backwards, staring down at his missing arms in confusion and as Yosei reached down and washed the blood off the claws she had used to do the deed in a nearby puddle, the entire mood of the battle shifted. 

Battery was the first to react, letting out a gut-wrenching scream that Weld assumed was the man’s name. Blue lines burst to life on her costume like flares, before she charged straight at Yosei, running so fast that she appeared to be a blur in the eyes of everyone present.

Yosei didn't seemed concerned in the slightest  and the woman breathed in, before exhaling a cloud of multi-colored smoke that Battery ran into headfirst. She ran through it, and when she came out the other side, she wasn't nearly as composed. She stumbled and that stumble turned into a tumble that sent her careening into the far wall of the arena where she slid to a stop in a pile of mangled limbs. 

From the sky, Dauntless dove towards her, spear held aloft and rage in his fists as he screamed a valiant war-cry. Yosei regarded the up-and-comer with a cool glance and one of the many tails on her back lit up brightly as she raised a hand to meet his charge. A torrent of rainbow fire, brighter and hotter than the sun surged from her palm, consuming Dauntless within them as the water and rain around the arena evaporated by being in the mere vicinity of the blaze.

A moment later, the flames abruptly came to a stop, and those remaining watched as the smoldering remains of the man’s armored corpse fell to the ground in front of her. She regarded it with as much emotion as she had the man himself, before looking up at them all, “Please, keep throwing yourselves at me. It makes this much easier for me.”

It was said like this was just another Tuesday for her and what the hell what going on? How had this battle turned around so suddenly just because she changed into a new form? She just took down five of them without even trying! Five people who had been trying to reason with her to offer her a way out of the mess she was making for herself. What kind of monster was this woman!? 

Sharing a look with his last remaining friend, Weld's face hardened at the fear on Flechette’s face. The girl was trembling, clearly scared for her life, and he knew that if only one of them made it out of here, he would rather it be her. And it wasn't like he had any hope of cutting through those walls.

He pushed her backwards, kicking off in the same movement as he bull-rushed Yosei, “Go!” He shouted, his legs pumping as he ate up the distance between himself and the villainous. Yosei’s face actually shifted as Flechette followed his instructions and began to run away. It was clear that she didn’t want her to leave.

She held up her hand and the world went dark as shadows coalesced directly in front of her. The pulsing mass of darkness grew larger and larger, growing legs and a mouth that lengthened into a snarling muzzle that snapped at the air as if existence itself pissed it off.

Yosei pointed past Weld, “Don't let her get away.”

The wolf burst into a dead sprint, rushing towards Flechette and ignoring Weld entirely. The metal teen stopped in his tracks, reaching out desperately to try and stop the beast, but it slid through his arm like it wasn't there and he reeled back at the feeling of pure wrongness that filled his body as his arm passed through the shadows.

As the beast continued on its path, Weld looked down at the limb or what was left of it. It was like he had been mauled by a pack of wild, metal eating dogs, with huge chunks missing from the limb, leaving it barely hanging on by a few slivers of silver skin.

As Flechette reached the looming walls of the prison Yosei had trapped them in, something landed behind her. She turned around with a whimper, terror written all over her features as she came face-to-face with a monstrous beast made of writhing shadow and sharp teeth, moments before the shadow lunged forward with an open maw, swallowing her whole.

And as the shadows disappeared and his friend was nowhere to be found, Weld felt only despair as he fell to the ground, clutching his ruined arm as he stared at the woman who had utterly destroyed them all like they were children. Yosei stared at him through painted eyes, not an ounce of emotion on her face as she slowly walked towards him, seemingly savouring the moment.

“You won’t get away with this, you know?” Weld told her through the quiet rain. Yosei stopped just in front of him, and Weld didn’t even attempt to get up and fight, knowing that it would be pointless, “You’ve killed so many people, heroes. A Kill Order is the least of what you’re going to have to worry about.”

“I’m sure my actions will have numerous consequences.” She spoke serenely, and her tone was almost ethereal as she stared him in the eyes, “But I don’t care. I once told Miss Militia that I would do anything for the people that I love, and if that means committing the worst atrocities on the face of this planet, then I will do it with a smile on my face.”

Weld shook his head, lamenting the egregious loss of life. He wasn’t sure why he wasn’t panicking or pleading for his life, but maybe some part of him understood that there wouldn’t be any use, “You could have just come quietly. Kaiser would have faced justice eventually.”

“Perhaps.” Yosei agreed, “But a lot of things can happen eventually. If I had left him alone, perhaps Kaiser would have eventually run afoul of his superiors and have his head taken for it. Perhaps he would slip off a particularly high stool, reaching up to adjust one of his numerous accolades, and crack his head on the corner of the table.”

She sneered, her beautiful face twisting into an ugly mockery of itself, “Or perhaps eventually, the heroes would forget all about this debacle and his numerous sins. Perhaps eventually, he would pass away in his sleep, having lived the full life that he has denied so many other people, surrounded by loved ones as he claims to repent for his wicked ways. As I said, a lot of things can happen eventually, but one's certainty of the future hinges on their own ability to change it, and I hold his future well in hand. Kaiser will die today, by my hand, and eventually, the world will forget he ever even existed.”

Weld stared at the woman, haloed by rain and flashing lightning, and shook his head, “You’re a monster.”

“I am whatever the situation calls for to protect my people.” She raised a hand, fingers splayed as she pointed it directly at Weld’s face, “If I am to take up the moniker of monster to do so, then so be it.”

Rainbow flames burst to life in her hands, the same ones that had completely cremated Dauntless just moments ago and as Weld tensed, Yosei smiled, revealing sharp teeth, “The Monster of Brockton Bay… It has a nice ring to it, doesn’t it? It reminds me of my father.”

Heat surged and rain turned to steam as she let loose. Weld clenched his eyes shut, waiting for his death and the pain that came with it… but nothing came. Instead it was completely silent, as if the entire world had died instead of him. Even the constant thrum of rain and thunder had disappeared. The teen cautiously opened his eyes, wondering why he hadn’t joined the rest of his team yet, and was met with a peculiar sight.

Yosei was standing in front of him just as before, hand raised to finish him off. The fire had disappeared however, and now the woman was staring up into the darkened sky with an inscrutable expression on her face. It was an odd mix of fear, disbelief, and disgust, and as Weld watched, she slowly shook her head, “Someone up there must truly hate me.” She said quietly, confusing the teen.

That confusion turned to shock as the world itself swirled around him, melting into bright colors and deafening sounds so disorienting that Weld couldn’t tell his right from his left or even up from down. Sound and sensation came back in tandem, and the teen flinched to life as thunder cracked through the sky. 

He stared around the battlefield in confusion. Yosei was nowhere to be seen, but to his elation, the rest of the team was still alive, scattered around the battlefield in the same general location that they had fallen to the villainous cape. None of them were hurt, only confused as they seemingly snapped out of the same dream-no, nightmare, that Weld himself had been stuck in only moments ago.

As he wondered how this was possible, a sound stuck out to him underneath the pattering of the rain on the crumbled rocks around him. A whining noise, high pitched and constant, sounding loudly enough that it echoed through the city and drowned all quieter noises underneath its squeal. It was a sound that Weld had never heard before, and yet he, just like everyone else present, knew exactly what it was.

An Endbringer siren.

That explained why Yosei had suddenly stopped attacking and undone the apparent illusion that she had them all under, but where was the woman responsible? Had she fled when she heard the siren, or was she still around?

Standing slowly, Weld looked for any sign of Yosei, eyes searching among the rubble of the half-crumbled wall she had created, when a sound from behind him made him pause and slowly turn around. His heart sank at what he saw.

Yosei was standing just a few yards away, staring into the distance with a blank look on her face. Twisted metal spikes curled out of the ground all around her, reaching for her like strangling vines yet all falling just short, melted into slag or falling impotently like a puppet with their strings cut. Her face was slicked with sweat, and there were several burning bulbs on each of her nine tails. Six of them were dim, like someone had deprived the flames of oxygen, and the seventh was flickering, preparing to join them.

None of that was what caught Weld’s eye first though. No, that honor belonged to the pool of red that was steadily spreading around her, emanating from the headless, armored body lying next to her feet. Her clawed fingers dripped crimson, and Kaiser’s helmet, likely still containing the man’s missing head, was held  limply beside her as she stared at the blackened sky.

She turned to regard the heroes, slitted eyes glowing in the darkness. Weld almost flinched at the hollow confusion in them, and she held his gaze for a moment longer before the world seemed to tilt on its head, a kaleidoscope of colors and sound bursting in his mind just like before.

When it cleared, Yosei was gone alongside her companion and the gruesome trophy she had proclaimed to covet.